Anybody else tired of Texas "footbal insanity"? (Austin: employment, high schools)

[TexasReb]

=UTHORNS96;36427944]Welp, guess we better all stop being crazy about football then. We clearly have nothing else to do in our lives.

Can't rep you again, but consider it done here. I guess I am just one of those dense good ol' boys who does not understand why some people -- whether northern transplants or fellow Texans/Southerners -- ask questions like this. If you don't like football and/or are not a fan of any given team, then fer gosh sakes, don't watch it or pay attention to it. It shouldn't affect their lives or daily routine one way or another, I wouldn't think. But anyway, well summarized.

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Anybody else tired of Texas "football insanity"?

Just to clarify, I grew up playing sports and I've played most sports in the World.
I moved to Texas (San Antonio and then Houston) 6 years ago
Even though San Antonio has one of the best basketball teams in the country, San Antonio media didn't care much for the Spurs until football season was over.
Houston has the Houston Rockets, Houston Astros, Houston Dynamo .... but the Houston Texans always get the media's attention even during the off season.

Today I go to church.... first comment from the pastor was
"As you all know, today is a national holiday called the first day of football season"
In the afternoon I went to a Bible study group ....
the Bible study was delayed 1/2 hour because Saints were playing the Falcons.

Again, I love sports.... but the obsession some people have in Texas with football is borderline ridiculous
I can only compare it to soccer fans during the World Cup, except that the World cup is for 1 month and played once every 4 years.

You mean it's not like this in other parts of the country? It seems like that can't be entirely true when I look at fans in Buffalo filling a stadium in a blizzard, or Pittsburg Steelers fans, or the Packers, etc. Surely Texas isn't the only state with football insanity.

I've lived her all my life, and somehow never really paid much attention to this insanity. It's just there and I ignore it. No biggie.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by shyguylh

Yes, I most certainly am. And like you, I didn't grow up in the area, I've lived here 8 years, but so what? I don't recall someone's opinion being irrelevant just because they weren't "born and raised," and to also trivialize such observations as a "damn Yankee trying to tell us how to live" is also ignorant. People are allowed to express their opinions, whether they've lived here 30 years or 30 minutes, and that's what I will do here. (Besides, not that it matters, but I'm from NC, so I'm not a Yankee anyway.)

I don't mind that people like football in and of itself, it's when it seeps into other aspects of life somewhat unavoidably is where it's annoying. The original poster mentioned Bible Study being postponed half an hour over a game, that's a good example. Another--the way that when you get together with people on Thanksgiving Day all they want to do is watch a game rather than actually being with each other in terms of talking and visiting--yes, it gets old.

To me, it's like what Stan Van Gundy of the NBA once said about NBA games on Christmas--basically, he said "I feel sorry for you if you have nothing better to do on Christmas Day than watch a basketball game." I think the same thing applies with watching a football game on Thanksgiving. I don't care if it's tradition, it's silly to me. In fact, when we host Thanksgiving, we have a rule--no television, period. We actually take that stance, even if it means no one comes over. You come here, you come here to VISIT, not watch a damn game. If that means that we eat Thanksgiving alone, then so be it.

Along the lines of what the original poster wrote--you had the Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA title in 2011 with two all-timers in Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, no one around here uttered a peep, or in 2006 when they were in the finals. Yet everytime someone on the Cowboys poops, it's national news. The Spurs, and I dislike them, but regardless, they're a Texas team and they won the NBA title, but no one has said a word about it around here compared to the endless talk about the Cowboys.

So yes, I'm very tired of it. People have the right to like what they like and not care what I think, I also have the right to not care for the insanity and say as much in a post where the topic is brought up for discussion. So there.

You live your life as you wish. But you sure are grumpy about this all.

We have had Thanksgiving at my house since 1984 - with up to 24 people. Some like football - others don't. We are relaxed about EVERYTHING on Thanksgiving. The biggest challenge is keeping politics off limits during our meal. While everyone is snacking before the meal - there is probably a game on. People talking, playing cards, etc. Not everyone is in the living room. TV is off during our meal.

After the meal, we're all full and people do what they want. Some take a walk, some have a drink, and some watch football.

When A&M played Texas on T-day many of us watched it - we have both sets of fans in our family.

As for other Texas sports - the Spurs aren't glamorous, but there are some dedicated fans. The only time I watch NBA games is when the Spurs are in the playoffs.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by shyguylh

I take it you're being sarcastic, but I seriously do think it is. I know for me, anyway, if I am REALLY trying to talk to someone, I want the television, radio etc OFF as in 100% off completely, and no I don't think that's selfish. I absolutely cannot have a meaningful conversation with someone if the television or music is blaring, it's just not happening.

Everyone else can have their Thanksgiving Day occasion as they want it, but as for us 2, it's no TV on Turkey Day, at least during the meal anyway, and that no one cares about a game means no one is rushing through anything due to anxiously awaiting what's about to come on. Besides, I think it's kind of ridiculous that in the case of NFL games on Thanksgiving or NBA games on Christmas, that we expect the players, coaches, broadcasters, to say nothing of the working class persons such as popcorn vendors and security personnel, to all sacrifice time with their family on the holiday because the consumer demands a game as entertainment on a holiday.

And yes, the same goes for retail workers having to work on Black Friday so shoppers can get a head start on Christmas shopping.

Are you upset that the movie theaters, airports, some stores are open on those holidays too?

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by shyguylh

I take it you're being sarcastic, but I seriously do think it is. I know for me, anyway, if I am REALLY trying to talk to someone, I want the television, radio etc OFF as in 100% off completely, and no I don't think that's selfish. I absolutely cannot have a meaningful conversation with someone if the television or music is blaring, it's just not happening.

Everyone else can have their Thanksgiving Day occasion as they want it, but as for us 2, it's no TV on Turkey Day, at least during the meal anyway, and that no one cares about a game means no one is rushing through anything due to anxiously awaiting what's about to come on. Besides, I think it's kind of ridiculous that in the case of NFL games on Thanksgiving or NBA games on Christmas, that we expect the players, coaches, broadcasters, to say nothing of the working class persons such as popcorn vendors and security personnel, to all sacrifice time with their family on the holiday because the consumer demands a game as entertainment on a holiday.

And yes, the same goes for retail workers having to work on Black Friday so shoppers can get a head start on Christmas shopping.

I think your last sentence is what's really insane. Why couldn't they just keep Black Friday on Friday instead of encroaching on our holiday? They'd stop the insanity if everyone boycotted the stores, but the people who will wait in insanely long lines to get a cheap 60" TV for under $400 will not forego their deals.

Today I saw a news segment showing people waiting outside an Apple store just because Apple was going to make an announcement about the iPhone 6. It wasn't even the release of the iPhone 6. The guy interviewed said they were starting the line because historically the iPhone would be released about 10 days after the announcement. I was thinking these are either some idiots or a very clever marketing scam by Apple to generate buzz about their products. It would not surprise me to find out these people are paid to sit outside the store for hours or days to get a newly released phone, videogame, or movie ticket.

[radiolibre99]

High school football is what I don't understand. Why would grown adults care about high school football?

[stan4]

Lived in Texas 25 years.

Never been exposed to an unwanted football conversation.
Know TONS of people who don't follow it at all.
Most tend to be intellectual types.
Maybe level up your social circle.

I love my college football, but I would never let my kid play.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

High school football is what I don't understand. Why would grown adults care about high school football?

1. It's football
2. Maybe you graduated from that high school
3. Maybe your kids go to that high school.

The high school football craze is really only the small towns around Texas, where everyone knows someone who went there, or there went there, etc. In the bigger cities and metro areas, it is just supporting the local high school for reasons 2 and 3.

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

High school football is what I don't understand. Why would grown adults care about high school football?

As someone said earlier - maybe their kids play or go to the local high school. If you go to the deeper playoff or championship games, you will find a lot of people who are just football junkies the same way that some people get obsessed with hunting or fishing or golf. They have no allegiance to the teams playing, but they are addicted to good match ups just like any other sport. There's a million other reasons grown adults watch or attend high school football. A friend of mine from high school is a psychiatrist with an interest in math, and he has compiled decades of stats on our high school team which he shares on internet forums. The list goes on. Quite simply it's a common interest that appeals to all ages and incomes.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

High school football is what I don't understand. Why would grown adults care about high school football?

Many of the super diehard college football fans also watch high school football because these are the future college and occasionally pro players.

Those that saw Jonathan Gray or Johnny Manziel play in high school watched incredible athletes that you couldn't help but pay attention to.

I pay a bit of attention to HS football, but it would take a state championship to watch a game. My kids have been through Lake Travis high school - and I watched a few games while they were in school. I did watch the state championship they won at Cowboys stadium several years ago.

We have known some of the kids, and their families, that made up these teams. So we have a somewhat personal connection to the LTHS team.